


A Kings Journey, Part I

by AmidalasCouture



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Comfort, Dark World, Hurt, M/M, Own Lore, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22575664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmidalasCouture/pseuds/AmidalasCouture
Summary: After the duel with Brron, Jaden wanders aimlessly around until he gets captured by the forces of the Dark World. Luckily the Supreme King Haou intervenes and sets Jaden on a path to become the new king.
Relationships: Haou | Supreme King/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Comments: 1
Kudos: 38
Collections: Yu-Gi-Oh! Shipfest's Mini-Event Works





	1. The Phantom

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the YGO Shipping Server Mirrorshipping Event!  
> Thanks for believing in me!  
> And special thanks to Fire for beta'ing my mess!

The barren wasteland of the dark world was hard to traverse on foot, but not impossible. Uncomfortable was the way one could describe it at worst and dangerous at best. Its sand dunes and stone cliffs reached far and wide, one was hard to find rivers or some greenery. The only plants growing here were nearly withered. The days were the same, the nights barely discernible from each other. The comet up in the sky lighting it up with its red glowing tail like doomsday looming over the head of the residents of the dark world.

Jaden kept on walking, not seeing or feeling, his feet took him forward step by step. He neither knew where he was nor did he care. Where ever he stepped the howling winds grew stronger, picking up dust and sand, but Jaden on the other hand stayed unruffled by it. No, he was trapped in a place far away but near, in his heart, his soul.

_ Dark was the sphere of his heart, darker than the cometless night of the Dark World. Light did not exist here, not in the sense it would in a real physical world. Still, everything was still visible. Memory mirrors floated at different heights, but their surfaces were dimmed and blank. In the center of them sat a teenager curled up like a weeping child, in his hand was one of the mirrors. Unlike the others a memory replayed again and again, still intact. It showed five of his friends - Cyrus, Alexis, Hussleberry, Chazz and Atticus. The others have already faded. _

_ 'It’s my fault. It's all my fault..' _

_ The constant mantra did not stop in his head nor did the tears falling from his face. They fell on the mirror, rolling down the smooth surface before falling into the abyss below where ground was and yet was not. There was no thought of catching them and gathering them and so they disappeared. _

_ But Jaden was not alone here in his soul room. From the darkness surrounding him formed a shadow, a silhouette of a boy the same age. His ruffled unruly hair was formed of darkness like the rest of his body. The phantom stepped forward, drawing closer to Jaden weeping on the ground. There was worry on his face covered in shadows. _

_ "Forget them, Jaden. Forget them like the rest. They were not your friends, Jaden. Would friends hurt you like this ?" _

_ The phantom’s voice was smooth though his inflection was more monotone. It washed over Jaden in a shower of goosebumps. While he kept being entranced by the mirror, his attention wavered.  _

_ 'I can't. They are dead and it's my fault.' _

_ Before the phantom could reply, the sound of thundering hooves resounded through the room. If the phantom’s face could have darkened, it would have. It glanced to the side where a mirror hung, touching it, the surface rippled and gave view of the outside world _ . 

It was the cavalry drawing closer. The mad king Brron may have been the king over this part of the dark world, but he was not the only one. The dark world was split into many thiefs, with each Lord or King reigning over one part and them all struggling to take over the others. 

No one was clearer of this than the phantom.

"Halt.," commanded the rider in the front. She wore silver armor on top, a white cape draped from her shoulders flowing down to the white long skirt. Her hair was as white as her skin, only the tips blackened. But the most eye-catching thing was the staff at her side with bright colored gems adorning it. All the other riders behind her stopped in neat rows. 

"Are you the boy that defeated the Mad King? Answer!" 

The soldier besides Snoww shouted, understanding their commanders intention.

_ Tapping against the mirror, the phantom stopped the picture, the voice of the soldier stopped abruptly. While he wanted Jaden to engage with him, it was not good for Jaden to awaken now. He was too weak for the world outside. Stricken with grief and self-hatred, it was impossible for him to handle the situation.  _

_ "Remember what they did to you. Friends don't do this to each other. And then you need to forget about them. You don't need them to be happy." _

_ The phantom stepped closer until he was within reach of the teenager. He did not touch him yet, instead he walked around him. His fingers reached for the mirror and with another tap the scene it showed changed. Gone were the happy faces and smiles. Instead it showed their last moments with Jaden.  _

_ Jaden’s eyes widened and his hands clenched around the cold mirror, his knuckles straining. In his heart it did not even matter that Cyrus was still breathing, the clenching feeling in his body made it seem like he was dead all the same. He did not think about how magic took four of them away and that the card that did this was in his possession. For him, their deaths, were irreversible and their accusations arrows hammering it into his heart. It pained the phantom seeing Jaden like this, but sometimes pain was the best teacher. The phantom hardened his heart again. _

_ "I will make everything right again, Jaden. You only need me." _

"Boy! The commander speaks to you!"

One of the lower soldiers, the Beast of Talwar, jumped from his horse. He marched up to Jaden, who had stopped walking and grabbed his upper arm. It was thin to his hands and felt easily breakable. Talwar was tempted to try it but did not dare under the watchful eyes of the commander. 

"It is no use, Talwar. The boy is completely out of it." 

Snoww, the commander of this trupp answered. There was a glint in her eyes as she raised her staff in front of the boy. Despite the threatening glow it gave off, there was no reaction from the boy, not even his pupils constricted. A soldier from beside Snoww rode up, Illusory Snatcher.

"Commander, the boy fits the description. Red jacket, dual colored brown hair. About 16. We should take him with us."

For a moment Snoww contemplated. Her face did not betray her thoughts. The soldiers awaited her command which would decide the fate of the boy. Talwar licked his lips. If his rang was high enough, he would argue with Illusory Snatcher that a boy in this mental state clearly could not be the same that so viciously killed Brron in a duel. Then, if Snoww decided that he is not, Talwar could break his twig like arm without repercussions. It would be an accident. Who would have known that a boy wandering about in this kind of storm would be this breakable?

"There is something different about him. Take his deck, he is coming with us."

Talwar obliged but grumbled under his breath. Taking off the cardholder, he threw it away. He shackled him before effortlessly lifting him up and tying him to his horse before he mounted the steed himself. Snoww waited for him to be seated or for the boy to be stable enough on the horse back before giving the command to continue. 

No one paid attention to the thrown away cards that had spilled out of the holder. Their edges were well played and loved. The wind blew them away and as they tumbled in the wind, their images faded away. When they touched the ground again, they had become blank.

_ Crack! Jaden's hand kept on trembling with the effort he exerted even though the mirror had shattered. Unlike the tears, the shards lay before him, each showing one of Jaden's five friends. Like a broken record they showed the scene again and again. In a frenzy, Jaden picks up the shards, their edges sharp and cutting his flesh. He still gathered them in his arms. _

_ "Be careful, Jaden. Don't hurt yourself over them." _

_ Kneeling down, the Phantom took the shards away from Jaden. The moment their fingers met, the darkness split away from it revealing the true face of the Phantom. Jaden's eyes followed the shards, then the hand and up the arm until he saw the other’s face. His eyes widened. Before him was himself.  _

_ "Who are you?" _

_ "I am the you from another life. We are one, Jaden." _

_ The phantom smiled lovingly, it looked different on his face than Jaden’s would. Their bodies were identical down to the last stray strand of hair, but their temperament was different. Where Jaden had always been an energetic but lazy teenager, the phantom held a more majestic bearing. He had an inherent grace that Jaden had never seen in another before. It was enchanting.  _

  
  



	2. An Awakening

"Throw him into the dungeon," Snoww ordered. 

She had dismounted her horse and handed it over to one of the servants. They had ridden. to the castle of dragon souls, where Grapha reigned. Without looking back, she strode into it, past the bones of long gone dragons. This is where they had waged war on the dragons and then built this castle on the fundament of their bones. In the great halls and long corridors one could still hear their roars if one was willing to listen. Snoww strode on, not caring. She only stopped once she entered the throne hall where Grapha resided.

"Milady, what has you brought here?"

The booming voice of Grapha echoed through the hall, filling it with his sound. Each of his breaths released a fog of sulfur. His wings and other limbs rested leisurely on the dark throne. Grapha’s body was not unlike that of the dragons he had conquered. Below him on the steps to the throne stood Baou to the left, his face expressionless. Thick chains binding him to nothing. On the opposite side stood Cyber Archfiend, unlike Baou he was posing with all his might.

"I have found a boy. We think he is the one that defeated Brron. He shall remain here as a guest until I return from the Netherworld. I will leave Talwar as his guard."

Graph grumbled displeased, his next breath filling the room with more sulfur. But the Unlight of the Dark World did not need to bow to these kings and lords. Her words were final, nothing could be done about that. After all, she was chosen by the temple and only with the power of the temple could one of the Kings or Lords hope to acclaim the throne of the Dark World. To reign supreme, that was every ruler’s truest wish.

“As it is the will of the Darkness, Milady. Fear not, I will be hospital to the boy.”

“Then I will take my leave, Dragon Lord.”

_ “Then, how should I call you?” _

_ Jaden kept track on the other, there was confusion and doubt on his face. After all, who would not be doubtful if they heard someone claim to be one’s past self in their head? But the Phantom’s expression was flawless, Jaden did not find any ill intent or deceit. For now, his attention was taken away from the shards and his mind had forgotten the cuts his hands were supposed to have as he reached to touch the Phantom, his hand became uncut.  _

_ “Call me the Supreme King, Haou.” _

_ “Haou.” _

_ Haou smiled as he heard Jaden bumble over his name, the word foreign on his tongue. He reached back to Jaden, their hands touching palm on palm. Haou willed the feeling of warmth to exist between them in contrast to the nothing that surrounded them. A tiny smile crossed Jaden’s face at the feeling of it, only visible for the length of a breath. Haou would have missed it, were his eyes not focused on Jaden’s face.  _

_ “I am here for you Jaden, I will never betray you. Trust me.” _

_ They were the words Jaden wanted to hear, words he craved. The darkness of his soul was a mirror of his loneliness and here was ‘Haou’. He wanted to trust Haou as easy as he often trusted in people. But another bout of tears made their way to his eyes, another clench of his heart made him hiccup. After all, loosing his friends was what made him crave these words. Being reminded, he could do nothing to hold back his tears. _

_ “Don’t cry, Jaden. Just let me take care of it.”  _

_ Closing the distance, Haou wrapped his arms around Jaden. He pulled him close against his chest, where his heart lay, beating to the same tune as Jaden’s. He made sure that Jaden could listen to it, stroking his hair with his fingers. Jaden’s pain was after all his own. Jaden was sobbing into his chest, it took him awhile to adapt but now he was clenching his hands around Haou’s jacket.  _

“What did I do to deserve this?”

Talwar grumbled. He was very displeased with his new position. The boy had been locked into the cell behind him and it was Talwar’s duty to keep watch which greatly annoyed him. Talwar was a proud warrior of the Dark World that joined the army to gain the privilege of keeping the civilians in line. After all, nothing was more satisfying than making people scream and getting paid for it. 

‘Maybe if I ruffle him just a bit, he will be fine when the Lady returns?’

Footsteps drew closer though and Talwar stopped his train of thought. There would be enough time to continue it later. Down stepped the blonde demon with blood red eyes and a cape flowing like tattered wings behind him. Chains clinked with every step he took. A pretty boy in Talwar’s opinion that probably only got so high in the food order because of other skills since he was never powerful, but he would never say this to the demons face. He sighed in relief. In his eyes this was no one important.

“So this is our guest?”

Baou asked as he stepped in front of the cell, peeking inside it. There on the bench sat a boy with downcast eyes and a blank face. Something strange coiled around him, catching Baou’s attention. This was the one who defeated Brron, Baou was sure of it like he was sure that the Dark World would soon experience a change. Why else would the Unlight ride across wasteland with a trupp of soldiers at her heels? And why else, does this boy look familiar even though Baou could not see his face?

“Says nothing, does nothing. I think the boy is brain dead, he could have never won a duel. I don’t know why the Lady makes such a tamtam about him. We should just send him to the stars like the others. He can’t even work like this.”

Now that Talwar got a companion down here, he could give in a bit to his anger and complain about his miserable state down here. He watched Baou as he kept on standing in front of the cell, his eyes transfixed as if he saw something different than Talwar. Because all Talwar could see was the same thin boy sitting there like a lifeless doll. 

"This is why you will never achieve anything. You are a brute Talwar, you lack the sensibility. This boy here is more special than you imagine, there is the trail of the comet left on him. Even a dunce like you should know what that means."

Everyone knew what the comet meant. For some it meant doom, for others it meant a new age and for the temple it meant the omen that brings in the golden age of the past where the one true king reigned supreme and Dark World had been a paradise. This was why they sent all those who misbehaved to the stars, to offer them as sacrifices. Only the chosen could enter the promised land. 

And only one king can be chosen.

This is why the wasteland of the Dark World was riddled with wars, all the lords and kings trying to claim the title for themselves. Talwar had heard that when one had the magic of the comet on them, they had offered enough sacrifices to be able to content for the spot of the king - this is why Talwar himself wanted nothing more than to ride out and join the war. 

"Shut up, you are just envious that I have the power to compete and you are stuck here like a slave. What if this boy had sent enough people to the stars? If I kill him, the comet will surely chose me."

Baou turned away from the cell. While he was not taller than the Beast of Talwar, his eyes looked down upon him, anger seething in his chest. His shackles rustled a bit as he held in his anger.  _ 'He is too young, he does not know.' _

"You don’t understand true power."

_ “Just sleep Jaden. You will feel better once you wake up.” _

_ Haou leaned down, whispering into Jaden’s ear. The other nodded weakly into his chest. Out of the darkness, Haou pulled a blanket, drawing it around Jaden. Summoning up one of the mirrors, Haou replayed what had happened outside. A smirk grew on his lips. He would create a world for them. _

_ 'This is a good place to start.' _

_ The memory mirrors, even the broken one, disappeared. Haou knew Jaden would not sleep long this time, but he was confident it would be long enough to start his plans. He lifted Jaden up and placed him on the bed he had conjured up with a thought.  _

_ 'Sleep well, Jaden.' _

The first few blinks felt strange, Haou was not used to the sensation after such a long time. The cell became clearer and clearer. Soon he could make out Baou standing in front of it. The moment their eyes met, recognition dawned on Baou’s face and in Haou's eyes. 

Haou walked to the front of the steel bars. With every step he took, Baou took one step back. This caught Talwar’s attention and the green skinned devil drew his sabers.

"Don't try anything funny, scum."

A smile crept onto Baou’s face though it was partly hidden due to him kneeling down on one leg. Talwar did not notice, but Haou did. His eyes sweeping through the room unimpressed even though the Beast was now standing in front of the iron bars, breathing down on his face.

"Move."

Haou commanded, his voice showing no emotion as if this was negligible. Talwar huffed and puffed up his chest. He was by far taller than Haou and now his imposing body seemed even more menacing. It was obvious that he would not move. Scoffing, Haou raised his hand. Focussing his power, he send Talwar flying back against the wall opposite of the cell. There he slumped over, unconscious. 

Under the influence of his power the bars creaked before giving in.

Stepping out of the cell, Haou looked at Baou. 

"Rise, I will give you back your power."

"Yes, your highness."

Baou rose to his feat as the chains broke from him. Under Haou's might, the seal broke and his sword finally appeared in the fiend’s hand again. Power was all in the Dark World, those with power could reign supreme. And now Baou could feel his old power again, a blessing for him. 

"I will need to rest for a bit. Keep watch."

"Yes, your highness."

_ Jaden did not sleep deep. When he awoke he was alone. The mirrors all around him were gone but so was Haou. As he rose, a blanket fell from his shoulders. His eyes were clearer than last time, though his mind was just as exhausted.  _

_ "Did I just dream this?" _

_ "You did not." _

_ Startled, Jaden turned around. There in front of the bed stood Haou, the same as Jaden remembered him. Their face and frame identical, but the gold of his eyes piercing the abyss deep into Jaden's core. _

_ "How do you feel?" _

_ "Uh...Okay I guess."  _

_ Jaden did not really feel okay, he felt like crying and dying. Haou seemed to know though he said nothing. He did not need to, his stare alone made Jaden feel guilty for not saying the whole truth.  _

_ "You don't need to face reality just yet. I have everything under control." _

_ "What are you doing?" _

_ "I'm gonna punish them all, I'm gonna make it alright. What do you think about it, Jaden? Just a world for us two." _

_ Just for the two of them, that sounded tempting for Jaden. A peaceful world where he could lie in the grass and watch the sky, where he could fish and sleep. Where he could… _

_ "It won't be the same without them." _

_ "What about your other friends? What about Jesse?" _

_ "Where is Jesse?!"  _

_ In a frenzy Jaden sprang off from the bed that disappeared beneath him. Haou caught him in an embrace, holding him with strong unmoving arms.  _

_ "Calm down, this is your mind. He is not here." _

_ Only then did Jaden look at him again, his eyes bright and his breathing quick. He looked livelier than last time. Only when his breathing calmed down did Haou let go of him. _

_ "I can find him for you and get him back. Once I gathered enough power. You just need to leave it to me." _

_ Jaden nodded, there was hope in him. Haou liked it better seeing him like this. Though he was using Jaden for his own agenda, his promises were real. His desire to see Jaden was real. He would have never intervened if Jaden had stayed at the academy, happy and oblivious. But now they were in the Dark World. _

Baou had dragged Talwar’s body into an empty cell. Even though his power was unlocked now, it was unnecessary if he could prevent another fight. While doing so he had kept an eye on Haou, who had a far and distant look on his face. 

Fleetingly, he thought that he could replace Haou now, but it was gone just as fast. After all, even Baou with all his might unlocked was not powerful enough to deal with any of the kings and lords, who had gathered and accumulated power over the last millennia.

Serving at Haou's side was enough. When one ascends even his dogs and chickens would reach the heaven. 

"So this is what you have been up to. I should have known you would betray our Lord." 

Entering the dungeon was the Cyber Archfiend, his bone armor creaking with every step as he eyed the situation. Though Baou had to cow before him before, he did not need to do so now. Stepping in front of Haou, he brandished his sword. 

"You will regret coming down here, Cyber."

"Oh, I see you got a new toy and now you’re talking big. Don't blame me for using this chance to get rid of you. Never knew why Grapha kept you around."

With this the skull armored Cyber Archfiend charged at Baou. Baou though stood firm, awaiting the attack. With every step Cyber Archfiend advanced Baou’s grin grew wider. In the last possible moment he raised the sword to block the incoming attack. The claws of Cyber Archfiend’s armor clashed against Baou’s sword. The blade did not budge a millimeter. A powerful kick against Cyber Archfiend’s abdomen forced him to retreat a few steps. 

While the armor protected him, it creaked and cracked in places of the ribcage. The act that Baou was able to repel him caught Cyber Archfiend off guard. His eyes widened and he clenched his teeth in anger. 

"Luck! This is impossible!" He screamed enraged. 

Baou laughed at him before following after Cyber Archfiend. With a cleave of his sword even though Cyber Archfiend tried to block, it left deep gnashes in the armor. After all, The Wicked Breaking Flamberge was most effective against fiends. 

"Yes it was luck that you lived this long. Finish him," Haou's voice sounded crisp and clear from behind Baou. 

"You heard it, I gave waited long enough for this opportunity."

With this, Baou slashed down again. The Cyber Archfiend did not react as if frozen in place. Without raising his arm guards, the already cracked rib bone armor gave in. The blade cleaved through the vital organs without much resistance. Sputtering blood, Cyber Archfiend's legs gave in. For a moment his body glowed bright before turning to stardust. 

But instead of being send to the stars, the energy was sucked into the card Haou was holding. 

"Should we finish Talwar too?"

Haou looked towards the cell where the unconscious Beast rested. A light twinkled in his eyes before he turned on his heels and walked to the entrance of the dungeon.

"We are leaving."

  
  



	3. The Beginning

Far away, past the barren wasteland in a kingdom of ice and death, Snoww and her trupp rode on their steeds. In front was Snoww, her figure blending into the environment like the dark into the night. Illusory Snatcher sporned his horse, catching up to the commander. 

"Shouldn't we have taken the boy with us? We are going to the temple because of him after all."

In this group of soldiers it was only him that had the right to question Snoww of her decision to leave the boy in the dungeon of Grapha. Her eyes, that pierced far into the distant lands before her, turned to the other fiend. Under her watchful eyes he felt uneasy, but still kept the tempo of his horse. 

"He won't be there when we get back."

Confusion appeared on Illusory Snatcher’s face. Before he could ask any further, Snoww raised her hand. Upon the signal the cavalry came to a halt. Snatcher stopped his horse as well, his eyes watching the white landscape. He could see nothing else than endless white and solitary obsidian rocks peaking through the white blanket.

"The boy has something special about him, you have felt that yes? He would die here if we brought him too early."

Understanding dawned on Snatchers face before it hardened again. Snoww raised her staff, power radiating from it as she started chanting. Snatcher readied his weapon as did the others. From behind the stone monoliths charged an army. From the lack of footsteps one could tell that they had lain in ambush.

In the castle of dragon souls, Haou strode through the halls. His shadow engulfed the hall, his feet leaving neither sound nor impression on the stone. Behind him walked Baou, the sword strapped to his back. Except for them, the halls were empty. Even the cries of gone dragons were muted where they stepped as if paying respect to another king. 

The large gates to the throne room opened. Blue flames dancing on dark torches lit up the grand hall by the barest bit. Grapha got up from the throne, the ground covered in the fog of his sulfuric breath. 

"You have killed my precious servant and turned the other to your cause, I see. Now you have come for me."

With every word, he drew cold fire in his body. The rumble of thunder and buzzing of lightning accompanied him. The Dragon Lord of the Dark World has paved his name with bones and might. In front of his massive size any human would look small and even the Beast of Talwar was just a toddler to him. 

"You have reigned on land you did not own for too long Grapha. You were never meant to be a lord or a king."

"I have created this land, this castle! I have slain dragons and wyrms so that their flesh could become the soil I built my castle upon. Their bones were to become the walls and the throne I sit upon. Their souls are the choir singing only for me! And you dare to tell me this land does not belong to me? This is the funniest joke I have heard in the last century. You are just an ant under my boot, a speckle of dust in my history." 

Grapha's deep laugh rang through the castle making the walls vibrate alongside. But Haou stared ahead, his eyes unblinking, his figure unmoving. There was not a ripple of emotion in him as if he was bored by Grapha's speech. Behind him, Baou stood with a hand on his sword. His teeth gnashed as he endured the insult. He would prefer nothing more than to charge in and cut him up like he did with the Cyber Archfiend. But in the face of Grapha even the unleashed Baou was not enough. He had to depend on Haou for this.

"Kneel before me, Grapha. And I will let you keep your life."

"You insolent brat!"

Enraged, Grapha threw the flames at Haou. While they did not touch the ground, they expanded across the fog in a blue blanket.  _ Fire and Brimstone. _ That was Grapha, his flames all encompassing, all burning. Even dragons died to his flames, to the acidic lick of sulfur and the heat of blazing hells.

The flames died before they reached Haou. The life was sucked out of them as their light disappeared forever. 

_ 'A trivial matter for the Supreme King,'  _ Baou thought as he watched the scene. His face showed no hint of fear or panic, his trust not waning. 

Haou stood in front of him and while his frame was different to the king of the past, in this moment it was the most familiar.

Haou did not need to move. The shadows bearing down on the room like the Atlas heavy weight of the world, forcing Grapha on one knee. But Grapha was not done yet, in his hands he held a massive warhammer and with the force of gravity helping him, he smashed it down. 

Thunder and fire boomed across the room, the stone floor cracking where the hammer impacted, the surrounding walls and roof collapsing under the force. An earthquake shook the land. But then the wails of the dragons grew louder, louder than the thunder and crumbling stone, resonating deep within the souls. 

Afterimages of dragons ascended from the ground, from their graves. Their massive astral bodies barely transparent but their wings held off the falling stone and the approaching doom. Their majestic roars sounded throughout the castle and the lands once more. 

"I can't believe this," murmured Grapha between heavy breaths. 

"Of course you can't. You have never been the true king here."

A last time, the dragons’ roars echoed across the sky. In their flight, they encircled Grapha before they descended. The heaviness of the shadows made Grapha unable to move, unable to escape the wrath of the dragons. Each dragon flew straight into the Dragon Lord before vanishing, each strike inflicting a heavy blow on his soul.

Weakend, Graphs fell to the ground amidst the ruins of his castle. His heavy breaths slowed with each one that he took. Laughter rang across the field as the light of the moon shed light into the ruins of the throne room. Baou could not hold it in any longer. 

"How the mighty Grapha has fallen. Mimicking old gods and naming himself Lord over all dragons. There is only one King who ruins supreme! I have said it those ages ago and I was right, he would return!" 

Haou let Baou ramble. He knew it would solve the knots that tied him to Grapha. Millennia of bowing down would leave wounds on the knees and deep scars on the heart. Walking closer, Haou approached the fallen Lord. There was only one thing he desired now and that was the power resting in Grapha. 

Standing in front of Grapha, he was only as tall as the giants head. Their gazes interlocked, the faint light dimming in Graphas eyes. Reaching out, Haou focused his attention on the weakened Grapha. Normally, pulling out the soul from the living was nigh impossible from a powerful fiend like Grapha, but the dragons had weakened his soul until it was a faint glimmer in Haou's hand.

Fragile and pitiful it pulsed until it was crushed. Haou had closed his fist, snuffing out Grapha's life. The giant body of the Dragon Lord turned to fairy lights whirling through the air, fluttering toward Haou's fist. When he opened it, he held a card.

_ Evil Hero Inferno Wing _

Haou put away the card as Baou caught up to him. 

"What is the plan, your Highness?"

"Gather the supplies and ready the horses, we will leave these ruins soon."

"As you command."

With this Baou disappeared, trying to find the necessities in the ruins of the castle of dragon souls. Meanwhile Haou took the last steps towards the throne which was left intact. Turning around, he seated himself upon it. His eyes dimming, as his gaze got lost in the distance. The cry of a dragon was heard above, before it disappeared on the horizon.

_ The soul room this time was a mirror of the throne room before it got destroyed. Haou sat on the throne like he did on the outside. The difference was that Jaden sat in the middle of the hall, in his arms a Black Dragon's Chick. The little fledgling nipped at Jaden's jugular. The other laughed, trying to keep the little one away but his attempts were futile.  _

_ "I see, the dragons left a gift with us." _

_ Haou stood up from the throne in their mind. With a few steps he approached Jaden and the baby dragon. Kneeling down, he took the space in front of the pair, his eyes unmoving from the small smile playing on Jaden's lips. Reaching out, Haou placed his hand on Jaden's cheek. Jaden looked up to him and as his attention left the little dragon it wedged itself free from Jaden's grip, bored now that he no longer got a reaction.  _

_ It ran around the soul room, bouncing up and down with its plumb body, flapping its too small wings in an attempt to fly. This was supposed to become a mighty dragon but it rather chased after its own tail. _

_ "I named him Atti…" _

_ Explained Jaden, watching every miniscule change on Haou's face, awaiting some form rebuke. But Haou's face did not show much, no hint of disgust or displeasure.  _

_ "After your friend." _

_ "Yes, he had a Red Eyes Black Dragon deck. He.." _

_ With every word Jaden spoke, breathing became harder for him and tears welled up at the corner of his eyes. He had not forgotten them yet, unlike most other memories that had been muted. Jaden's eyes became cast downward, his figure slacking. _

_ "Jaden." _

_ Haou's voice was calm. Ever since they talked, he had not let go off Jaden. With the grip of his hand, Haou tilted Jaden's head towards him until their eyes met again. With the fingers of his free hand he caressed his hair. _

_ "Even if you hate yourself, even if you blame yourself, I won't. I will right everything that has gone wrong. Do you believe in me ?" _

_ "Yes.." _

_ Jaden's voice was barely a whisper, but here nothing could be hidden. Even the faintest sound would be just as clear as the loudest scream. The distance between them closed, their eyes interlocked. Bewitched as if by a spell even the chirping sound of the baby dragon did not divert their attention. Forehead to forehead, Haou continued. _

_ "The Dragon Lord was only the beginning. Soon I will gift a world without sorrow to you." _

_ "Yes, please." _

_ Their breaths intermingled, their hearts sped up but stayed synchronised in their beating. Yes, Jaden wanted this world without sorrow. This dark world, he could not face it anymore and he could never go back to his own. Not after he lost them, the others…they would hate him. _

_ "Jaden, I will love thyself, after all we are the same. I swear, even if the world dies and everything turns to dust." _

_ "Yes, yes." _

_ The tears fell from Jaden's face, his hands grabbed Haou's hand caressing him. Closing his eyes, he felt the warmth of it.  _

_ In that moment, Haou closed the last distance between the both of them, pressing his lips softly to Jaden's. It was only a faint touch that made Jaden's lips tingle. It had ended before it really began. _

_ "I promise," Haou whispered against his lips. Then he stood up, a small smile playing on his lips. _

  
  



End file.
